Thefts from construction sites of taxpayer-financed houses on the South Side have been so
frequent that city officials, neighborhood leaders and others are meeting to figure out a way to
curb them.

“It is urgent we resolve the problem,” said John Edgar, executive director of Community
Development for All People, a nonprofit group working with the NRP Group of Cleveland to build 40
rent-to-own houses in an area of the South Side marred by foreclosures and vacant houses.

The groups met yesterday, and NRP reported that since it began construction on the 40 houses
this year, thieves have made off with $22,883 worth of materials, including lumber and wiring, said
Rita Parise, Columbus’ housing administrator.

NRP also has spent $6,459 to secure sites to prevent thefts and has hired private security, she
said.

“I know this is a significant concern to NRP,” Parise said.

Edgar said the thefts have not forced developers to move back completion dates, but warned that
they could drive up costs.

The work is being done with money from a combination of sources, including $1.2 million in
federal neighborhood stabilization funds the city loaned to the project, Parise said.

Financing also includes a $5.6 million construction loan from JPMorgan Chase and a $1 million
loan from the Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County, both of which will be
financed by money from low-income housing tax credits, Parise said. The project’s total cost is $9
million, she said.

Edgar said taxpayers are not on the hook, but the losses might add to the debt that needs to be
serviced.

The goal with these kinds of housing projects is to stabilize neighborhoods so private-sector
companies are willing to take a chance with development, Parise said.

Thefts go beyond the work sites. Area residents have complained about break-ins as well, Parise
said. “We are looking at this not just as a construction issue but as a neighborhood issue.”Talks
to come up with more ideas to help prevent the thefts will continue.

The houses are being built in an area of the South Side that is the focus of the city’s Southern
Gateway Initiative, a multimillion-dollar public-private effort to rebuild the neighborhood. It
involves public dollars as well as contributions from local businesspeople with ties to the
area.

Robert Dickerscheid, a South Side neighborhood leader and Hungarian Village Society member, said
every neighborhood has crime problems.

“We are taking the steps to get involved now and to try to come up with solutions,” he said.

The city also is building the $8.6 million John R. Maloney Family Health & Wellness Center
in the neighborhood on Parsons Avenue. Parise said no theft problems were reported from that site
during yesterday’s meeting.

Judy Czarnecki, a consultant helping to lead the Southern Gateway effort, said she doesn’t
believe the thefts will steer developers from the area.

“I hope they will follow NRP’s lead and invest right along with them,” she said.